Experts to visit Oro for geotech engineering lecture

WHEN buildings, bridges, flood controls, dams and the like collapse because the earth underneath moves, a branch in civil engineering called geotechnical engineering comes to investigate the scene.

If the term sounds too technical to ordinary minds in the Philippines, it is actually not the case in developed countries.

Mindanao University of Science and Technology, in cooperation with the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineering Inc. Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro Chapter, will spearhead once again an engineering milestone as it brings geotechnical experts and specialists to conduct a lecture series on geotechnical engineering at the Grand Caprice Restaurant on May 7.

The lecturers are members of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), a renowned global organization whose secretariat office is based in London, United Kingdom.

Prof. Pedro Pinto from the University of Coimbra, Portugal and past president of ISSMGE will speak about Interaction Between Eurocode 7 – Geotechnical Design, and Eurocode 8 – Design for Earthquake Resistance of Foundations.

Prof. Dennes Bergado of Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand will handle on the Behavior of Lightweight Geomaterials Using Recycled Tire Chips – Sand Mixtures Reinforced with Geogrids: Test Results and Simulations while Dr. Lai Yip Poon, managing director of Wall Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, and Dr. Teik Aun Ooi of the Insitute of Civil Engineers in Malaysia will talk about Design and Construction of Reinforced Soil Wall and Its Performance in DMM Improved Ground, and Geotechnical Failures, Issues, Dispute Resolutions and Mitigation, respectively.

Dr. Ruth Cabahug, vice president for Academic Affairs of MUST, is strongly endorsing the event as engineering is one of the science and technology (S&T) fields that the University specializes.

A civil engineer herself, Cabahug is calling on all civil engineers, architects and other professionals from allied fields to attend the exceptional event.

Registration fee for the event is minimal at P1,000 to cover snacks, lunch and certificate of participation.